Water crisis looms as Himalayan glaciers retreat
14 March 2005
Many millions of people in China, India and Nepal could face water shortages in the future because global warming has accelerated the retreat of the Himalayan glaciers.
A new WWF report - An Overview of Glaciers, Glacier Retreat and Subsequent Impacts in Nepal, India and China - reveals that around 67 per cent of glaciers are retreating at an alarming rate.
"The rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers will first increase the volume of water in rivers causing widespread flooding," said Dr Catarina Cardoso, Head of WWF-UK’s Climate Change Programme.
"But in a few decades this situation will change and the water level in rivers will decline, meaning massive economic and environmental problems for people in Western China, Nepal and Northern India."
Himalayan glaciers feed into seven of Asia’s greatest rivers (the Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Salween, Mekong, Yangtze and Huange He), ensuring a year-round water supply to hundreds of millions of people in the Indian subcontinent and China. As glacier water flows dwindle, the energy potential of hydroelectric power will decrease causing problems for industry, while reduced irrigation means lower crop production.
Nepal has an annual average temperature rise of 0.06°C per year. The report shows that three of Nepal’s snow-fed rivers have shown declining trends in discharge. In China, the report shows that Qinhai Plateau’s wetlands have seen declining lake water levels, lake shrinkage, the absence of water flow in rivers and streams, and the degradation of swamp wetlands. In India, the Gangotri glacier, which supports one of India’s largest river basins, is receding at an average rate of 23 metres per year.
The report is released on the eve of a two-day ministerial roundtable of the 20 largest energy using economies in the world, including China and India, followed by a G8 meeting of development and environment ministers focusing on climate change and on Africa. WWF has sent a letter to participating ministers, stressing the need for urgent action on climate change. In particular WWF is calling on countries to commit to keeping the average rise in global temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
"Ministers should realize now that the world faces an economic and development catastrophe if the rate of global warming isn't reduced," said Dr Cardoso.
"They need to work together on reducing CO2 emissions, increasing the use of renewable energy and implementing energy efficiency measures."
Find out more
Download the report - An Overview of Glaciers, Glacier Retreat and Subsequent Impacts in Nepal, India and China as a PDF file.
WWF's Stop Climate Chaos! campaign is calling on governments and the power sector to limit CO2 emissions - a major cause of global warming - to help ensure the average rise in global temperature stays well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. This is a crucial tipping point for the environment and would have devastating impacts for people and wildlife. Visit the Stop Climate Chaos campaign website
